Can-labeling machine



(No Model.)

D. cox. A GAN LABELING MACHINE.

Patented July 23, 1895. l

YNo. 543,175.

v of Fig. 1.

' e or by weighted cords, so as to hold it up aplation to the cans.

raros.

ATENT DAVID COX, OFA SACRAMENTQVCALIFORNIA.

CAN-LABELING MACHINE.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,175, dated July23,1895. I Appiieaion fiieanecember 15, 1894. sean No. 531,944. 'unmodel.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known thatI,.DAvID COX, a citizen of the United States, residing atSacramento, county of Sacramento, State of California, have invented anImprovement in Can-Labeling Machines; and I hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for labeling cans.

It consists in certain details of construetion, which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings', in whichy Figure lis a longitudinalvertical section taken through the apparatus. Fig. 2 isa plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line y y Fig. 4 is asectional detail showing the pan, in full lines, in its elevatedposition, and showing it in its depressed conditionin dotted lines. A

Theobject of my invention is to. provide a. simple mechanism forautomatically applying paste to the cans as they pass, transferring therolling cans over labels in such a manner that each can will pickup alabel by one end and roll it upon itself, a means for applying paste tothe overlapping iinal end of the label and drawing the label tight uponthe can and completing the pasting of it thereon, and in certain detailsof construction.

A is a support of any suitable description having fixed upon it rails B,upon which the cans are adapted to travel, being delivered thereon fromany suitable chute or other container.

The track is inclined snficiently to cause the cans to roll bygravitation, and upon each sideare guard-rails D, which serve to keepthe can in line and rolling straight upon its track.

Eis a paste-receptacle sup ported by springs proximately closeto thetracks over which the cans pass and adjust it properly with re- Withinthis receptacle is journaled a roller F, extending .transversely acrossbeneath the line of the track and having its surface made of anymaterial which will absorb or take up a portion of the paste from thereceptacle.

G G are'arms projecting radially from the roller, so that when.projecting upwardly they extend above the line of travel'of the cans,

and each can as it rolls will come in contact with one of the pins.

H is a springladapted to press upon the roller with suflicient force toproduce the necessary tension, so that the roller will just be rotatedby the weight of the passing can.

As the can strikes one of the pins or arms vGr it causes the roller toturn a quarter of a revolution and in doing so applies paste along oneside of the can. The can then rolls on over thetable until it reachesthe label pile, the distanceot which is so regulated with relation tothe paste-roller that the can will lmake a revolution and bring itspasted strip down upon the nearest'edge of the label pile, thus causingthe topmost label to adhere to the can and be rolled upon it as the cancontinues to roll above the label pile. The opposite end of the topmostlabel extends be- Y neath a holder and supply-pipe I, which extendsacross between or just below the tracks upon which the can rolls and atsuch position relative to the rear ends of the labels that the latterare constantly7 pressed upward against the lower part of this tubulardevice.

The holder I may be of any suitable shape which its purpose rendersdesirable and is connected at one side with a paste-supply J.

The holder has holes -or openings t' made in it which allows the pasteto pass out upon the edge of the uppermost of the labels as they lie..When the can has rolled so far'as to bring a tension upon this `end ofthe label the labelis drawn out from-under the paste tube and holder andthe little tension necessary to sowithdraw it stretches the label sothat it' will be perfectly smooth upon the can, and the edge of thelabel as it is drawn out will adhere to the can, and as the can makesanother revolutiony upon the track the next revolution brings thisportion of thelabel down upon the table or surface over which the can isrolling, so as to complete thepressing of the edge ot the label intoplace, `after which the can may pass to any desired point.

In order to supply the labels properly and to hold them in such positionthat they will beI delivered so that a can is notliable to pick up morethan onelabel at a time, I employ a movable table K, upon which the pileof labels IOO is placed, the labels being so arranged upon the table asto present in side view a rhomboidal form, in which the acute angle atthe top is presented toward the approaching cans, and this projects theuppermost label always a little in front of the next one below, so thatit will be picked up and separated from the others as the can passesover it.

In order to raise the labels as the pile is decreased, I have shownguides L, upon or between which projections M from the table are causedto travel. If desired, these projections may be in the form ofantifrictional rollers, or they may be made to slide between the guides,it only being necessary that they move with sufficient ease to alwayskeep the pile of labels up close to the line of travelof the cans. Thisis preferably done by means of a weight or weights N and a cord or cordsO passing over a pulley at P, having one end attached to the weight andvthe other to the front edge of the table, so that the cord from thepulley to the table is essentially in the diagonal line upon which thetable rises. This always presents the rhomboidal massof labels at thesame point as they are raised, so that each can as it passes will takeone from the top and separate it from the others.

In order to guide thelabels sdewise l have shown springs Q, which areadapted to press upon each side of the label pile and. keep it in properposition as it rises.

Guides R are fixed with relation to the rear ends of the labels, so thatthe latter are adjusted against them, and as these guides stand in thesame diagonal line upon which the labels are raised the relativeposition of the label pile will always be properly maintained.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a can labeling machine, a runway and tracks upon which the cansare caused to travel, raised guides exterior to the line of track andbetween which the ends of the cans pass, whereby they are retained inposition, a paste receptacle adjustably suspended beneath the line oftracks having a roller journaled transversely upon it, with radiallyprojecting arms in the path of the can, whereby the passage of each cancauses the roller to be rotated and paste transferred from. its surfaceto that of the can.

2. ln a can labeling machine, arunway having tracks upon which the endsof the can travel, raised guides exterior to the tracks which serve toguide the can as it rolls, a paste receptacle having a roller journaledupon it so that the lower side dips into the paste, radial armsprojecting from the roller in the path ot travel ofthe can, whereby theroller is rotated a part of a revolutionby the passage of each can, atension spring or 54ans springs by which the rotation of the roller isregulated, and a means for suspending the paste receptacle so that itwill be always held close to the line of travel of the cans, but isallowed to yield to any pressure brought upon the top.

3. In a can labeling machine, the runway having the tracks and guides, apaste receptacle yieldingly suspended and carrying a roller providedwith radial arms arranged in the path of the can, whereby the roller isrotated by the can in its passage and paste transferred from its surfaceto that of the can, a label-holding table adjustable in Vertical planesand having the pile of labels thereon arranged to present a rhomboidaloutline, and means for adjusting the table.

4. In a canlabeling machine, a runway and track, guides over which thecans pass, a paste receptacle `yieldingly suspended and provided with aroller by which paste is transferred from the receptacle to each can,said roller being automatically rotated by the cans as they pass to thelabel table, a diagonally movable label table upon which the labels areplaced in the same diagonal position, a tubular holder against which therear ends of the labels are pressed as the table is made to lrise, saidholder being connected with the paste supply and havingopenings made init whereby the paste is delivered upon the rear end of the. uppermostlabel.

5. In a can labeling machine, a runway or track and guides upon andbetween which the cans are movable, an adjustable paste receptacle, aroller journaled across the receptacle having radial arms projectingupward in the line of travel of the cans whereby the roller is partiallyrotated by each passingfcan and paste applied thereto, a label tableadjustable in vertical planes, guides at the rear end ofthe tableagainst which the rear ends of a pile of labels are placed whereby thelabel pile is made to assume a rhomboidal shape in side elevation withthe front edge of the uppermost label always projecting slightly beyondthe next below, whereby the can will separate each label from the otherswhen its pasted surface arrives and is rolled over the label pile, apaste supply and holder beneath which the rear edges ofthe labels areretained and from which the uppermostlabel is drawn by the tensioncaused by the rolling of the passing can to which its front edge hasalready been pasted whereby the label is stretched smoothly upon the canand the rear edge is pasted thereon as it leaves the holder. In witnesswhereof I have hereunto set my hand.

DAVID COX.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsn, H. F. AscHEcK.

